1. Prerequisites *

At the start of this course the student should have acquired the following competences: an active knowledge of

English

other languages

lectures will be in English

a passive knowledge of

English

Reader is in English

specific prerequisites for this course

This course is designed to be useful to undergraduate students in Sociology or other social science disciplines. Some previous background in social science is required::

Active and passive knowledge of the English language, as lectures and reader are in English. Assignments and exams can be taken in Dutch.

Basic knowledge of sociological theories and classic authors

General notion of basic methodological issues in social scientific research (cf. introductory courses in 1st and 2nd Bachelor).

2. Learning outcomes *

You understand the general features of scientific research and methodology and are familiar with some basic concepts of the epistemology and philosophy of social sciences

You have a good understanding of the specificity of sociological research and the (interconnectedness of) its different research goals, research strategies and paradigms. You are able to illustrate the sociological approach and different research goals and strategies, using a given or self-chosen societal phenomenon

You have a good understanding of the different choices and issues at stake in the research process (finding a research question, conceptualization, operationalization, etc.) and you're able to apply this understanding in small research assignments.

You have a good understanding of essential issues at stake in the description as well as explanation of social life. You can distinguish descriptive and causal arguments.

You know some general heuristics and specific heuristics of the social sciences and can use them to turn a vague interest into a sociological research question.

You understand the various possibilities and problems involved in comparative research

You can distinguish the main levels of analysis in the social sciences and understand the main problems when developing explanations across different levels of analysis

You know how to use social-scientific sources to find a research problem and develop social-scientific arguments. You can report orally and written on this.

3. Course contents *

‘Theory Construction’ explores the nature of theorising in the social sciences. It focuses on some of the main building blocks in social inquiry, such as concepts, research questions, and causal explanations. The emphasis throughout the course is not on theories themselves, but on creative and disciplined theorising as a practical skill. Through lectures, working seminars and individual assignments, you are encouraged to reflect on social scientific approaches to reality and different choices entailed in research design.

The first part of the course introduces essential aspects of theorising, such as thinking sociologically, the specificity of social-scientific inquiries and the application of creative heuristics.

The second part treats essential aspects of the research process, such as developing research questions, a research design, conceptualisation, operationalisation & measurement both in (post-)positivist and interpretive approaches. It also discusses how social scientists deal with causation and explanation.

In the third part of the course, we treat some typical recurring problems in sociological research: (1) Varying levels of sociological analysis (micro, meso & macro) and (2) Problems of comparative research.